City to complete demolition of home with asbestos warnings – Saskatoon StarPhoenix

The City of Saskatoon plans to complete the demolition of a Mayfair house next week and says asbestos on the site poses no risk to people.

The City of Saskatoon plans to complete the demolition of a house in the Mayfair neighbourhood next week. City staff say asbestos on the site poses no risk to people.

The dilapidated house on the southwest corner of 34th Street and Avenue B has been left partly demolished since September. Asbestos warnings are attached to the fence surrounding the property.

Kara Fagnou, the city’s director of building standards, said in an email that the property owner stopped the demolition when a material that contained asbestos was found.

The property owner complied with provincial Occupational Health and Safety rules and confirmed the material had been contained properly, Fagnou added.

“There is no present risk to the public,” Fagnou said. “The owner was in compliance with the building bylaw.”

The dilapidated house on the southwest corner of 34th Street and Avenue B has been left partly demolished since September.Michelle Berg /

Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Under current rules, building permits for construction or demolition are issued for two years. Work must start within six months of the permit being issued and work cannot be abandoned for more than 180 days.

City council will choose on March 26 on lowering the time frame for demolition in residential areas to 60 days. The reduced time for residential demolitions has been proposed in response to residents’ concerns about the Mayfair home, which was built in 1914.

In the case of the 520-square-foot Mayfair home, the building permit was issued Aug. 29. Demolition is believed to have stopped in mid-September, so the time the house has been left partly demolished is close to 180 days.

Fagnou said the city went in November to address an “unsafe site condition” and has assumed responsibility for demolishing the house. The cost of tearing it down will be added to the property owner’s tax bill.

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“Building standards’ role is limited, and we continued to monitor the site for health and security,” Fagnou said.

The city has awarded a contract to demolish the house.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority referred questions about the house to the city.

Sites where asbestos is learned are required to have warnings posted. Residents expressed concerns in the fall that, regardless of warning signs, children may have been able to gain access to the site.